casual
UK[ˈkæʒuəl]US[ˈkæʒuəl]
adj
relaxed and not worried, or seeming not to care about something
adj
not formal; suitable for informal situations
adj
happening by chance or without planning
adj
(of work) done or employed for short periods or only when needed
adj
without serious interest or attention; superficial
Morpheme Breakdown
cas
ual
cas
fall
ual
adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'casual' originates from the latin 'casualis', which means 'by chance' or 'accidental'. this derives from 'casus', the past participle of 'cadere', meaning 'to fall'. the core semantic link is the notion of something that 'befalls' or happens by chance, like a falling die. over time, this sense of chance occurrence broadened to describe things not planned or formal, leading to its modern meanings of relaxed informality, temporary employment, and lack of deep commitment, all connected to the original idea of an unplanned event.
Analysis
Structure: cas (fall) + ual (adjective suffix)
cas is from latin 'casus' (a fall, chance, event). ual is a latin-derived adjectival suffix meaning 'of or pertaining to'.
Examples
she adopted a casual attitude towards her exams.
he wore casual clothes like jeans and a t-shirt to the party.
they had a casual conversation with their new neighbors.